Riptide Blog

The 7 Pitfalls To Cloud Based Computing

When you host your Apps, Servers or computing capacity in the Cloud, you don’t have the capital expense of setups or updates, your maintenance cost is slashed, you’re going to use less power, and you free up a lot of valuable floor space, and your pricing is easily managed.

There are, however, some hidden pitfalls to cloud computing – ones that can end up costing you more money in the long run – that you need to be keenly aware of.

1. Not being able to reuse existing hardware.

When you’re moving to the cloud, existing hardware has to be taken into account. What are you going to do with it? Can it be repurposed? Has it been fully depreciated? Are you in a lease you can’t get out of? The initial ROI can be significantly delayed if these matters aren’t taken into consideration.

2. Not reading the “fine print” on Software Licenses

There are quite a few software licenses that do not bode well for Cloud Based servers, or that could require an additional fee to allow you to run them on a Cloud Based Server. Read license agreements carefully, and take the extra steps to cover your investment.

3. Accepting an offer on “Face Value”

Without the proper investigation into the multiple vendors in the Cloud Hosting space, you could end up spending more money than you had originally planned. Find out exactly what you’ll be charged for, how much, and how often. Be sure to set up an easy communication method with the billing department, and ask them if there is anything you can do to save money on your setup. Often times, companies have specials, discounts, or partner agreements that aren’t well advertised.

4. Forgetting specialized requirements.

Typically, cloud packages are generic in nature, so that they appeal to more people. Because of this, there might be some technology aspects that are foregone. Computer, Data, and Network Security need to be given extra attention. If your company deals with online purchases, make sure your cloud hosting agreement meets their requirements.

5. Not planning for the peaks and valleys.

If the initial selections you make to host your Application or Services don’t take high usage and demand into consideration, you’ll end up paying more for the additional bandwidth consumed. Plan for the high loads your Application will require.

6. Getting Locked In To Proprietary Cloud Solutions

A number of Cloud Providers require the use of their proprietary operating systems. Be sure that your systems, applications, or services are coded in such a way that migrating them to another provider isn’t a costly operation.

7. Getting “Too Much” of a good thing

Do not over-anticipate your base-line usage. It might take weeks or months for a Cloud Based application to fully use what you initially provision. This over-reach can lead to needless expenses as unused resources remain provisioned for your application.

Avoiding these 7 pitfalls to cloud based computing can be a daunting task at first, but you’ll end up saving time and money on your overall project.